Wayne George, executive director of the Municipal Association of South Carolina presented a plaque recognizing the Honor Roll designation to council members at a meeting on June 4. The Association represents all 271 South Carolina cities and towns.

"One of our goals at the Municipal Association is providing training to give our local elected officials the tools they need to govern effectively. Your local residents should be very proud to see that all members of the Pendleton council have graduated from this program," said George during the council presentation. "The new Municipal Elected Officials Institute Honor Roll recognizes the efforts and accomplishments of our local elected leaders to further their knowledge of local government to govern more effectively and efficiently."

Established in 1986, the institute is a program of the Municipal Association that gives municipal officials a strong foundation in the operation of local government. Participants learn about the role of elected officials and administrative staff and the relationships municipal officials have with other local governments, the state and federal government. The Honor Roll was established in 2018 to recognize councils that can count all sitting members as graduates of the MEO Institute.

To graduate, officials participate in more than 25 hours of classroom work. Highlights of topics covered during the sessions include the Freedom of Information Act, ethics and accountability, budgeting, planning and zoning, human resources and economic development.

The Institute draws its faculty from recognized local government leaders in South Carolina and other states, state officials, faculty and staff of the state's colleges and universities, and other guest lecturers.

The Advanced Institute, established in 2014, provides elected officials who have graduated from the MEO Institute with an option for continuing education through classroom instruction, interaction with experienced peers and case studies.